The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has

cited Quality Blow Molding, Inc. for five safety and health violations, including two willful

violations, two repeat violations, and one other than serious violation. They come in response to

an inspection of a worksite in Elyria, OH in March of 2015. This inspection was initiated after an

employee was injured while attempting to clear a jam in a plastic molding machine; the

employee was on the first day at work and the injuries led to the loss of four fingers. The

citations are for violations relating to machine guarding and lockout tagout. These violations

carry proposed penalties of $172,270.

“A preventable and unforgivable injury has changed this young man’s life,” said Kimberly

Nelson, OSHA’s area director in Toledo. “For the second time in two years, Quality Blow

Molding intentionally and willfully disregarded OSHA standards and requirements for machine

safety.”

This is an example of an employee being injured due to a lack of appropriate machine guarding

and a lack of appropriate training for new employees. To show how serious OSHA takes

violations such as these, the company was also placed in the Sever Violator Enforcement

Program. This shows that every company needs to ensure it has a well-executed training program

and updated policies and procedures regarding machine guarding.

If you have any questions about updating or establishing your occupational safety and health

policies and procedures, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this inspection,

please leave a comment.